A crack

"But, has she ever done the same to ___?"

He let out a light chuckle and with an appending frown, said "Actually, she did. She's always did. She's just generally a very bitchy person."

"What?"

"She's just a bitchy person. I think most girls are" -pause-

"I'm not"

"Well, you're not half as bad."

"I'm not."

"Okay."

"I mean, I confront a good friend if she or he really messes up. I may turn aggressive when people start being offensive. Which again, is started by the other party. And I approach the person I care for, not their mother, not their partner. I approach them, and I never resort to name-calling, I never talk down to them. I still tend to be extremely diplomatic. Even my friends aren't 'bitchy'. They talk sense. I only 'bitch' - if you insist, when I have the facts, when I did my 'proper research'. Generally, I side people who seem right. I don't 'go with the flow'. Sure, there's bias when it's my friends. But I don't just side them and discard the fact the other party may be right. We tend to always scrutinise the scenario and be diplomatic. I don't try to hurt people or ruin their lives. I calculate the pros and cons of a confrontation or an expression of how I feel towards a situation and towards someone. I don't recklessly spout things that may be personal or sensitive. I generally - mind my own business. Fair enough if it's someone I'm really close to. My best friends or my brothers. But from experience, I see that as long as they turn out happy, I swallow my thoughts and let them be and be happy. If there was anything wrong, you don't wait 3 years to say it."

Waiting out in the cold for our bus, he turned to face me, making sure his gaze is fixed on mine. With his hands gently holding me, he said "I love you, you do know that right?"

I nodded, and that affirmative seemed enough.